Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is gearing up to face a tough New York Jets defense on Sunday in hostile territory and is excited about getting to play against Aaron Rodgers.
Denver Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix says matchup against Aaron Rodgers is ‘surreal’
The tale of two quarterbacks this season will culminate into a Sunday matinee showdown between the Broncos (1-2) and the Jets (2-1). Bo Nix, a rookie, and Aaron Rodgers, a veteran.
Nix is still finding his footing as he navigates his first NFL season, coming off his most impressive performance yet on Sunday in the team’s 26-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rodgers and the Jets are coming off a 24-3 win against the New England Patriots, where the veteran QB threw for two touchdowns and 281 passing yards while going 27-of-35 passing.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Nix said. “I grew up watching him do all his cool plays for so long. Over time, I’ve watched a lot of his highlights. It’s crazy that I get to go out there and play against him. [I’m] really looking forward to meeting him for the first time. It’s hard to put into words that on Sunday you get to play a great like that. That’s what the NFL brings. That’s why it’s such a special game.”
Nix will face a tough Jets defense that is ranked in the top ten in a lot of key metrics.
Jets defensive rankings
- Net Yards Per Game Allowed – 280.0 – 7th.
- Yards Per Play – 4.72 – 9th.
- Points Per Game Allowed – 17.3 – 8th.
- Net Passing Yards Allowed Per Game – 150.7 – 4th.
- Sacks – 14 – 2nd.
Nix and Denver’s offense will have to counter NY’s aggressive interior pass rush while not putting the ball in harm’s way in the passing game against Sauce Gardner. He was much smarter with the football and his decision-making in Sunday’s win and looked far more comfortable in the offense compared to the first two weeks of the regular season.
“I think it’s been gradual,” Nix said. “Definitely the execution and the play production was better Sunday. That’s why we moved the ball more and [we] went down and scored a few more points. I thought we caught a great rhythm. We stayed within our strengths, and we moved the ball down the field. Moving forward, we have to find ways to score touchdowns in the red zone, but I thought we did a good job of kind of controlling the game, running the ball how we had to and converting on third downs. That’s just going to continue to build my confidence and then the offense’s confidence. We just have to keep stacking those kinds of games.”